Beretta 501 (7.62mm NATO) Italian Sniper Rifle

Beretta 501 (7.62mm NATO)

Here’s the sniper rifle used by the Italian Army until the late 1990s: the bolt-action Beretta Model 501, in 7.62mm NATO (.308 Win):

There are three interesting things about this rifle, for a standard sniper issue: it comes with a wooden stock (so much for the more-common composite stocks being "more reliable" than wood); it comes issued with iron “match” sights; and its barrel length is a rather unusual 23”—apparently, this length is the optimal for the 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge, of which the magazine holds five. The “500” action is the forerunner of the commercial “Mato” action.

I like the look of this rifle. I like the eccentricity of its design (the added cheek-piece on the stock is a nice touch, as is the thumbhole stock itself), and the little touches like the iron sights. It costs about $1,500 unscoped.

If I were going to have only one .308 rifle, this wouldn’t be a bad choice. And it’s also available in .243 Win (for about $1,100).